Apartment Hunting

Sorry I haven´t written in the few days that I have been here. It´s been very crazy trying to find an apartment during the biggest fiesta of the year here in Logroño. It´s called La Fiesta de San Mateo (Saint Matthew), who happens to be the Patron Saint of the city. La Fiesta goes from about the 18th of September through the 23rd, so, needless to say, it has been nonstop crowds, music, events, and an effort through it all to find a place to stay for the next nine months. Unfortunately, the government program has not been much help at all for us. We are virtually on our own to find our way, language barrier or not. We are getting better though, if you´re wondering.

Thank heavens the people of Spain are so very nice and helpful. They will actually go out of their ways to help you find something. I´ve already come into contact with people who have helped us with directions, telephones, buses, apartments, language, etc. Before I left I was in contact with a teacher from one of the schools I will assistant teach at. Her name is Lola, and she helped us find an apartment (a piso, as they call it) with two bedrooms, a spatious living room, and a good-sized kitchen to boot. We accepted an invitation to stay there until the end of September to see if we like it. The first night we discovered that almost the entire street we would live on is filled with discotecas (dance clubs / bars). So, while the Spanierds partied late into the night during the climax of their national fiesta, we slept anxiously on the fourth floor above, terrified that this noise could be enough to drive us away. Abby and I are as of yet still undecided, though we are looking for options that will allow us to remain or to move into another more comfortable setting.

We´ve met several friends already in our program, and our three-day orientation in Madrid is coming up next week. I have no idea what we will do there. They are putting us up in a nice hotel in the middle of town, and we´re getting together with many of assistant teachers from the same program from all over the U.S. and Europe. I assume that they will divide us into groups depending on what provinces and cities we teach in. This would be beneficial to make contacts and form support groups. I also assume, since one of my two schools has yet to contact me, that they will be telling us where in the schools we have to go.

We have witnessed many things at the Fiesta, including amazing fireworks, customary food of all kinds, mucho vino (wine), a mini-running-of-the-bulls (not quite the same as Pamplona, but, having never seen it before, I was impressed), parades, music, Spain, Spain, Spain... It´s everything Spain times two. Or three. There are so many people in our city that it will not look the same after they are all gone. We are hoping beyond hoping that after they do leave it quiets down a little around our apartment.

Until we decide where we are staying, there will be no internet connection at our apartment. I am currently using the internet at a local call center for one Euro an hour. If only everything in Spain was that cheap. Pero bueno, we are surviving.

Weather is good. Cloudy at times; it rained lightly today; temperatures from about 70 to 85 F during the days and 50 to 60 at night. It is fall here. We will be on the same schedule as the United States with the seasons. I´ve heard that it snows about a handful of times here during winter, much to the delight of citizens and photographers. There are beautiful old buildings here. Cathedrals, churches, and the like. The old part of town is called Casco Antiguo, which basically means ´old part of town´. I didn´t mention that our apartment is situated right smack dab in the middle of this area. Cathedrals out our back balconies, churches out our front door, and a centuries-old building that has been nearly completely refurbished. Aye yi yi. What will we do?...

I will add photos to my photo site very soon, and maybe some videos too. Until the next time, hasta luego (until later).